4350 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 18 /Wednesday, January 28, 1998 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

36 CFR Part 212

RIN AB–67–0095

Administration of the Forest

Development Transportation System

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed

rulemaking.

SUMMARY: The Forest Service proposes

to revise the regulations concerning the

management of the National Forest

System transportation system to address

changes in how the road system is

developed, used, maintained, and

funded. The existing road system on

National Forest System lands was

largely funded and constructed to

develop areas for timber harvesting and

the development of other resources. In

the last two decades, interest in the

appropriate uses of the resources of the

national forests, as well as the costs

associated with resource development,

including road-building, has generated

much public debate. At the same time,

resource uses on the national forests

have shifted substantially toward

recreation. The agency believes this is

an appropriate time to consider changes

in public opinion, public demand, and

public use of national forest resources in

the context of the accumulated body of

scientific information about the benefits

and environmental impacts of roads,

and to consider adjustments in the

management of the forest road system to

respond to these changes and, thus,

better serve present and future

management objectives in a more

efficient manner. Public comments on

the scope and nature of a proposed

revision of the Forest Services road

management policy are invited. The

agency will consider all comments in

developing the proposed rule.

DATES: Comments must be received in

writing by March 30, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to:

Gerald (Skip) Coghlan, Acting Director,

Engineering Staff, Forest Service, USDA,

P.O. Box 96090, Washington, D.C.

20090–6090, and also at roads/

wo@fs.fed.us on the Internet.

All comments, including names and

addresses when provided, are available

for public inspection and copying.

Persons wishing to inspect the

comments are encouraged to call ahead

(202–205–1400) to facilitate entrance

into the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gerald (Skip) Coghlan, Acting Director,

Engineering Staff, 202–205–1400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The road system on National Forest

System lands is extensive and diverse.

It includes an estimated 373,000 miles

of inventoried forest system roads.

These roads are essential for the active

management of the resources of the

National Forests. They carry an

estimated 9,000 Forest Service

administrative vehicles daily

throughout the forests to duties as

varied as wildlife habitat improvement

projects, maintenance of recreation

facilities, fire suppression, law

enforcement, and search and rescue

activities. National Forest System roads

also carry an estimated 15,000 vehicles

daily that are associated with timber

harvesting and the development of other

resources.

Roads are also essential for public use

and enjoyment of the National Forests

and Grasslands. The agency estimates

that 1.7 million vehicles involved in

recreation travel forest roads every day,

an increase of over 10 times since 1950.

In addition to the 373,000 miles of

inventoried system roads, there are

60,000 miles of roads which exist on

National Forest System lands, created

by repeated public use, that are not

managed or maintained by the agency or

considered part of the forest road

system.

Public use and demands on national

forest resources have shifted

considerably during the past 10 years.

There has been a decrease in timber

harvesting and other commodity uses

and steadily-increasing growth in the

amount and type of recreation uses. The

shift in public use and associated

changes in user expectations and access

needs requires new approaches to

deciding the appropriate size and

configuration of the road system. In

addition, current funding mechanisms

and levels are not adequate to maintain

roads to the standards originally

planned, to assure minimum ecological

impacts, as well as to ensure efficient

and safe use. Thus, the agency needs to

explore new sources of dependable

funding as well as ways to better

manage roads with limited resources.

The accumulation of new scientific

information is increasing the

understanding of the ecological and

social impacts of existing roads, new

construction of roads in roaded and

roadless areas, and the impacts of the

management activities associated with

maintaining and reconstructing roads.

New developments in road-building

technology have fewer negative

ecological impacts; however, ecological

impacts from existing roads are more

extensive than previously thought. For

example, under some conditions,

existing roads may cause increased

frequency of flooding and landslides,

increased stream sedimentation, and

associated reductions in fish habitat

productivity. There may also be

concerns associated with the

fragmentation and degradation of

habitat for some wildlife species caused

by roading, as well as reductions in

travel corridors of species with large

home ranges. Research also indicates

that under some circumstances, roading

may begin or accelerate the invasion of

exotic plant species that ultimately

displace native species.

In addition to the impacts of roadbuilding and roads themselves, there are

impacts associated with the increased

levels of human activities in previouslyinaccessible areas provided by new

roads. For example, increases in visitoruse have associated resource impacts,

including ground and habitat

disturbance, increased pressure on

wildlife species from hunters and

fishers, and increased expectations for

amenities. Also, increases in human

access may be associated with increases

in the frequency of person-caused fires.

A more detailed listing of facts related

to the nature and scope of the National

Forest Road System, public demand,

funding, and environmental impacts of

roads are published as Appendix A at

the end of this notice.

Rulemaking Objectives

The shifts in resource demands and

public use coupled with the need to

ensure that decisions associated with

the location, design, construction,

reconstruction, upgrading,

decommissioning, and maintenance of

roads are informed by current scientific

information lead the Forest Service to

conclude that it must thoroughly review

its road management policy and develop

a comprehensive science-based policy

for the future. This policy should allow

the Forest Service to balance scientific

information, public needs and funding

levels when determining the size,

purpose, and extent of the future forest

road transportation system and any

specific road building activities. The

following are among the expected

outcomes and key features of such a

long-range policy:

1. Roads will be removed where they

are no longer needed, and ecological

values will be rehabilitated and restored

in formerly-roaded areas. These

outcomes will be accomplished by

aggressively decommissioning

unneeded roads to reduce adverse

environmental impacts.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 18 /Wednesday, January 28, 1998 / Proposed Rules 4351

2. Roads most heavily used by the

public will be safe and will promote

efficient travel. These outcomes will be

accomplished by aggressively updating

roads (reconstruction, design and

maintenance) and reducing

environmental impacts in these areas.

3. New roads that are determined

necessary for National Forest System

management will be designed more

carefully to minimize ecological

damage, and limited funds will be spent

appropriately. These outcomes will be

achieved by carefully analyzing factors

surrounding the decision to build new

roads in roaded areas, as well as the

decision to build new roads in roadless

areas, to assure that managers make

more informed decisions and that only

necessary construction is taking place.

The agency invites comments and

suggestions on procedures for

improving management of the national

forest road system.

Agency Actions

Several research efforts are underway

to examine the National Forest road

system and its uses; to synthesize

scientific information on Forest Service

roads; and to analyze attitudes toward

roads as expressed in the news media.

Drafts of these reports are available from

Director, Pacific Northwest Research

Station, P.O. Box 3890, Portland, OR

97208–3890, 503–808–2100 and also at

pnw/r6pnw@fs.fed.us on the Internet.

An essential element of this

comprehensive overhaul of forest road

policy is to develop improved analytical

tools for land managers and resource

specialists. To that end, agency

researchers and specialists are

developing an improved analysis

process that assures that the ecological,

social, and economic impacts of

proposed construction and

reconstruction of National Forest

System roads are objectively evaluated,

and that there is a full consideration of

public demand on National Forest

System roads in the context of current

scientific information. This process will

undergo an independent technical and

scientific peer review before adoption.

Until the effects of roads can be more

rigorously assessed, the Forest Service is

also proposing to issue an interim rule

to temporarily suspend road

construction and reconstruction in

roadless areas for not more than 18

months. The proposed interim rule

appears in the same separate part of

today’s Federal Register with a request

for public comment and notice of the

initiation of scoping under the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

Suggestions on the scope and nature

of a proposed revision of the Forest

Service’s road management policy, as

well as comments on the agency’s

preliminary suggestions are invited. The

agency will consider all comments in

developing the proposed rule.

Dated: January 22, 1998.

Mike Dombeck,

Chief, Forest Service.

Appendix A—Facts About the National

Forest Road System

1. The National Forest Road System is

extensive and diverse; it includes an

estimated 373,000 miles of forest roads.

a. One-fourth (23%) are called arterial or

collector roads and they serve all users,

including passenger cars.

b. Over one-half (57%) are roads that are

only passable by high-clearance vehicles

such as four-wheel drives.

c. One-fifth (20%) are closed by gates.

d. The Forest Service has identified an

additional estimated 60,000 miles of

‘‘uninventoried roads’’ that were created by

repeated use but never build or maintained

to any standards. The actual number of miles

of ‘‘uninventoried roads’’ is likely far greater

than this estimate. There are also additional

public roads on National Forest System

lands, such as state and county roads that are

typically maintained by others.

e. There are more than 7,000 bridges on

forest roads, three-fourths of these are on the

arterial and collector roads.

f. In 1996, new construction of National

Forest System roads was 434 miles, or 0.1%

of the total National Forest road system.

2. Roads are essential for public use and

enjoyment of National Forests and

Grasslands.

a. An estimated 15,000 logging trucks and

vehicles associated with timber harvesting

use National Forest roads each day, about the

same number as in 1950.

b. An estimated 1.7 million vehicles

associated with recreation activities travel

forest roads each day, over 10 times more

than in 1950. Recreation usage is projected to

continue to increase.

c. An estimated 9,000 Forest Service

administrative vehicles travel forest roads

each day, conducting duties essential to the

stewardship of forest resources, including

special use administration, wildlife habitat

improvement projects, maintenance and

operation of recreation facilities, law

enforcement, and fire suppression.

3. Public use and demands on National

Forest System lands have shifted

considerably during the past 10 years. The

size and composition of the National Forest

System road system has not been adjusted

accordingly.

a. Recreation usage has increased from less

than 250 million Recreation Visitor Days to

almost 350 million and is projected to

continue to increase.

b. Timber harvest has dropped to below 4

billion board feet from a high of about 12

billion board feet annually.

c. The need for, and understanding of,

ecological benefits that these forest and

rangelands provide has increased, such as

clean water, wildlife habitat, and habitat for

endangered species.

4. While a significant portion of the

191,000,000 acres of the National Forest

System is roaded, a significant portion

remains roadless.

a. An estimated 34,000,000 acres are

currently designated as wilderness; an

estimated 6,000,000 acres are designated as

proposed wilderness in forest plans.

b. An estimated 33,000,000 acres are

currently unroaded in blocks of 5,000 acres

or more for which the existing forest plans

have proposed management that could

include building new roads.

c. Of the 33,000,000 acres that are

unroaded and available for management

activities that could include roading, an

estimated 8,000,000 acres are classified as

‘‘suitable for timber production.

5. Current funding levels are inadequate to

maintain the roads to planned standards that

permit efficient and safe use and keep

ecological impacts at acceptably low levels.

a. About 40% of National Forest System

roads are fully maintained to the planned

safety and environmental standards for

which they were designed.

b. The backlog of reconstruction needs on

National Forest System roads is considerable.

For example, the backlog on arterial and

collector roads alone is estimated to be over

$10 million, due to their age (three-fourths

are over 50 years old) and their lack of

adequate regular maintenance.

c. From 1991 to 1996, funding for

decommissioning roads has only financed a

reduction of about 0.5% of National Forest

System roads per year.

6. New scientific information continues to

increase our understanding of the ecological

and social impacts from existing roads and

associated management activities. In some

instances, ecological impacts from existing

roads are more extensive than previously

thought. Examples of these impacts include:

increased frequency of flooding and

landslides; increased stream sedimentation

and associated reduction in fish habitat

productivity; increased habitat fragmentation

and degradation which reduce the travel

corridors needed by species requiring large

home ranges; increased frequency of personcaused fires as a result of access; and

invasion of exotic species that displace

native species. In contrast, recently

constructed roads that are better designed

and better located than earlier roads, and

result in fewer and less severe ecological

impacts.

[FR Doc. 98–1907 Filed 1–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

36 CFR Part 212

RIN AB–68–0095

Administration of the Forest

Development Transportation System:

Temporary Suspension of Road

Construction in Roadless Areas

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.